Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Yinlong Energy sign MoU for green urban bus transportation

Zurich, Switzerland (Urban Transport News): Hitachi ABB Power Grids on 16th March 2021 announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Yinlong Energy, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric buses, to help cities speed up their transition to emission-free electric bus transportation and cleaner city air. 

By combining their technology leadership and expertise, the two companies offer customers a completely optimized e-mobility solution, comprising Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Grid-eMotion™ Fleet and Flash charging system infrastructure for public transportation and commercial vehicles and Yinlong’s comprehensive portfolio of electric city buses. 

“Cities worldwide are turning increasingly to electric buses to meet their carbon neutrality targets and sustainability goals for thriving, healthy urban communities. Our combined innovative solutions and expertise enable urban transportation operators to switch cost-effectively from fossil fuels to emission-free electric buses to meet these objectives," said Niklas Persson, Managing Director Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ Grid Integration business.

Initially, the two companies will focus their resources on helping cities and states in the Middle East achieve their urban e-mobility and emission-reduction ambitions, before extending their joint offering to China and the rest of the world. Both the charging infrastructure and the buses meet the challenging climate and operating conditions of the region, where buses require large amounts of power for air conditioning and the charging infrastructure must withstand intense heat and even sandstorms. 

Venkat P., Managing Director Yinlong Energy Middle East said:

By teaming up with Hitachi ABB Power Grids we are jointly creating the first one-stop-shop smart e-mobility solution in which the charging infrastructure is fully optimized with the energy needs and operating conditions of the buses. Our joint solution enables transportation companies to plan, operate and manage their e-fleet optimally and efficiently.

Grid charging infrastructure is the key to keeping electric buses running for as long as possible each day, without having to take them off the road for recharging and deploy replacement buses and drivers, which increases operating costs significantly.

Grid-eMotion comprises two uniquely innovative solutions - Fleet and Flash - which meet these requirements. Grid-eMotion Fleet is a grid-code compliant and space-saving grid-to-plug charging solution that can be installed in existing depots and scaled flexibly as the fleet gets greener. Grid-eMotion Flash enables operators to flash-charge buses within seconds at passenger stops and fully recharge within minutes at the route terminus, without interrupting the bus schedule. Additional offerings consist of charging hardware, control software and services including Hitachi’s Lumada APM, EAM and FSM solutions, to help transportation companies make informed decisions that maximize their uptime and improve efficiency. e-meshTM EMS is also used to manage and enhance the charging infrastructure, including data on bus charging and energy storage. 

The global fleet of urban electric buses is forecast to grow significantly from around 500,000 today, most of which are in China, to 3-5 million in 2030 according to the latest scenarios of the International Energy Agency.